Unlike 2-wheeled bicycles, Terra Trikes are more stable and easier to pedal, Yonker says. That has contributed to their growing market niche among disabled veterans and persons with physical disabilities.

The 16-year-old company is enjoying a 65 percent sales increase and is on track to post sales of $6 million this year, Yonker says. “We sold more trikes last week in one week than we did in the first four years.”

WizWheels's roots go back to a Christmas party in Hastings, where company founders Jack Wiswell and Wayne Oom started talking about their love of cycling and sketched out their 3-wheel design on a cocktail napkin.

That cocktail napkin has since been framed and is displayed prominently in the new headquarters, warehouse and assembly shop the company moved into last month at 4460 40th Street SE.

Wiswell and Oom still manage the company on a daily basis, says Yonker, who played in their garage band before he left a Grand Rapids ad agency to join their company five years ago.

Much of the company’s success lies in its marketing strategy which is aimed directly at aging Baby Boomers through magazine advertisements in non-bicycle oriented magazines such as Field and Stream, AARP’s Modern Maturity and Car & Driver, Yonker says.

Traditional bike shops who focus on high-end two-wheeled racing models once shunned them, Yonker said. They are now taking notice when customers ask for them, he said.

Terra Trike is even getting some mainstream buzz outside of its niche. Television talk show host Jimmy Fallon recently featured the Terra Trikes in a studio race he staged with actress Queen Latifah.

The company also has seen its sales grow by lowering its price point to make them more affordable to the average cycling customer. Their entry level model, the Rover, is a no-frills steel-framed cycle whose single-speed version sells for $699.

“All the others are trying to put out the Ferrari,” says Yonker of their competition. “We sell more than all of them combined."

In recent years, they have focused on streamlining their lineup into four basic models; the Rover, the Rambler, the Tour II and the Sportster, a lightweight aluminum-framed model that retails for $3,999.

The company’s lightweight tandem, which sells for $4,999, also is a “huge seller,” Yonker said.

The company also offers a full array of accessories ranging from fenders, speedometers, iPhone holders and pannier bags.

Yonker says he doubts the big bicycle companies will enter their niche market. If they do, there is a growing army of 40,000 loyal Terra Trike riders to keep their momentum going, he says.